The 49ers don’t seem to be in a hurry to get rid of Jimmy Garoppolo. In fact, they may be positioning themselves to get the best version of him in 2021.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday in his press conference said he spoke to Garoppolo before news of the 49ers’ trade up to the No. 3 pick in the draft. While Garoppolo wasn’t exactly excited about the news, Shanahan believes the team may get the veteran’s best football with the heir apparent on the roster behind him.
“I’m sure Jimmy was a little pissed off from it, just like I would be, too, but me knowing Jimmy, he’ll be fired up and come in and he’ll work his butt off,” Shanahan said. “Knowing Jimmy, the more mad Jimmy gets, usually the better he gets. So, if Jimmy just gets madder and he stays healthy, I mean, this is going to be a good thing for Jimmy, too, which could be a great problem for the 49ers. So, I hope Jimmy’s all right with it and I expect him to be, and I’m excited to have him come in here and see what he’s been doing when he’s away and hopefully we’ll have a team here that we can work and practice with, which, as John just said, I think will eventually happen.”
A strong year from Garoppolo would be the best possible outcome for the 49ers. It would put them in a position where they presumably have two good NFL quarterbacks. That helps Garoppolo’s trade value immensely should they choose to move on, but it also gives them a good option if they don’t deem the No. 3 pick ready for the 2022 season.
It’s not ideal to have a disgruntled starting quarterback. That’s certainly going to be a fragile situation Shanahan and the team have to handle with care throughout the season. However, if Garoppolo responds the way the coach thinks he will, it could put the 49ers in the best possible position moving into the 2022 offseason.
[lawrence-related id=665889]